Railway draft appliance



Nov. 871927.

W. J. REGAN RAILWAY DRAFT APPLIANCE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 10, 1926 Illl c 0 L m e Nov.'8, 1927. 1,648,325 w. J. REGAN RAILWAYHDRAFT APPLIANCE Filed Dec. 10. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 awueutoz Patented Nov. 8, 1927.

ire-n s ar tenses WILLIAIFI J. REGAN, OF WILKINSIBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR'TO THE IvIcCON- WAY & TORLEY COIVIPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY DRAFT APPLIANCE.'

Application filed December 10, 1926. Serial No. 153,870.

My invention relates to draft appliances for railway cars and is particularly concerned with the production of a device which is well suited for application to light passenger cars. The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple, compact and elficient mechanism wherein the coupler is enabled to perform extended lateral swinging movements permitting the car to pass around curves with ease and safety.-

The primary feature of the invention, generally stated, consists in constructing the draft appliance with a draft yoke to the forward end of which a coupler is piv otally connected, and in providing means for yieldingly maintaining the coupler and yolre in longitudinal alineinent, said means comprising spring seats rigidly secured to the yoke on opposite sides thereof, followers in advance of the spring seats. and movable with respect thereto, springs respectively positioned between the followers and the corresponding spring seats, and means carried by the coupler and adapted to cooperate with the followers to effect a compression of one or the other of the springs accordingly as the coupler swings to one side or the other from its normal position.

A further feature of the invention consists in providing opposite sides of the yoke in advance of the laterally extending spring seats thereof with a plurality of vertically spaced laterally projecting flange portions adapted to receive and form guides for the followers by which the coupler centering springs are compressed.

' Other features of the invention residing in particular combinations of parts and advantageous details of construct-ion will hereinafter appear and be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment ofthe invention,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a draft appliance embodying the invention, showing its relation to the draft sills of a car.

Figure, 2 is a view, partly in side eleva-5 tion and partly in vertical section, ofthe construction shown in Fig. 1.

'Figure 3 is a view, partly in plan and partly in section, on the line 33, Fig. 2, a portion of the coupler being broken away- -e e, Fig. 2.

bled therewith from beneath. The

Figure e is a sectional view on the H, Fig. 2;

Figure 5 is a sectional View on the 5-5, Fig. 2.

Figure 6 is. a sectional view on the line line

In the drawings, 1 indicates the sills of the car with which the draft appliance'is associated. Between these sills and rivetedv thereto is a draft casting'2 which provides front stops 3 and rear stops 4 for respectively cooperating with the front follower 5 and the, rear follower 6 of the cushioning device for resisting draft andbuffing forces.

The draft spring 7 is interposed between the followers 5 and 6 and may advantageously be protected from injury, such as might result if 1t were allowed to compress solid, by providing each ofthe followers'with.

cylindrical stops 8 which embrace the spring followers toward each other before the spring is fully compressed.

Instead of being made in'two parts the draft casting 2' is preferably fashioned as an integral member which is open below so as to permit the draft yoke 9 to be assem y e may be conveniently supported in assembled position by means of a carrier plate 10 bolted or otherwise secured to'the draft sills 1. 3

At its forward end the draft yoke 9 is bifurcated to form an upper arm 11 and a lower arm 12 between which the rear end ofthe coupler 13 is received, the coupler being pivotally connected to the yoke by a pivot pin 14 which is preferably removable downwardly, and the rear end face of said coupler being cylindrically curved, as at 15, concentric with the pivot pin so as to cooperate with the correspondingly curved buffing bearing 16 with which the yoke 9 is provided. The lower arm 12 at the forward end of the yoke projects forwardly beyond the end of the upper arm 11, and each of to the yoke.

swings with respect to the yoke as the car passes around a curve. By this means the coupler is efficiently supported against drooping and horizontal alineinent of the coupler and yoke is preserved in service.

In advance of the opening 19 for receiving the followers and 6 and the draft spring 7, the t raft yoke 9 is provided on opposite sides with laterally projecting spring seats which preferably are integrally united These spring seats may advajtageously be braced and reinforced by vertically spared forwardly extending flanges 21 cast integral with the yoke and adjacent spring seats. The neighboring flanges 21 are saaced apart a sufficient distance to receive the coupler centering springs 22 which bear against the respective springseats120,

said fianges thereby serving to house portions of the springs, the spring seats 20 are preferably provided with cylindrical studs 23 which serve to center the springs 22 and maintain them in proper bearing relation to the spring seats.

Cooperating with the forward end of each of the coupler centering; springs 22 is a follower 24: adapted to move with respect to the yoke and to the coupler. The inner edges of these followers are guided by the neighboring'sides oflthe draft yoke 9, while their outer edges are preferably flanged rearvwardly, as indicated at 25, to afford extended bearing area for contact with the respectively adjacent inner faces of the draft sills 1. 'Each of the followers 24 is also preferably formed with a rearwardly extending cylindrical stud or boss 26 for centering the cooperating spring At their forward ends the springs 22 are housed above and below by vertically spaced fang cs2? integrally united to the draft yoke 9 and projecting laterally therefroin' These flanges, which form guides for the followers 24, are shouldered on their opposedfaces, as at 28, to provide stops for limiting the forward movements of the followers.

' It will be perceived that when the device is in service the followers 24. are housed and guided at the top and bottom by the ribsor flanges 27 and on the inside by theisiidcs of the yoke and on the outside by the draft-sills or center sills of'the car. V

The coupler 13 is provided in advance of its pivotal axis with means'for actuating the followers 24 to effect a compression of one or the other of the springs 22 when the coupler executes a pivotal movement with respect to the yoke 9. For this'purpose the coupler is, preferably formed on opposite sides with vertically spaced perforated lugs 29 between which are rollers 30 for cooperating with thecorre'sponding followers '24:. These rollers are 'journaled on pins 81 whose ends are upset or riveted so as to secure thm to the lugs 29.

The forward faces of The reinforcing flanges 32 and 33 at the forward end of the draft casting 2 are spaced vertically so as to permit the spring seats 20 to move rearwardly between them in buffing,

the upper flanges 82 preferably extending forwardlysufliciently far to overlap the respectively adjacent spring seats 20 when the parts are in normal relation and the lower" flanges 33 being somewhat shorterso' as to afliord clearance permitting the assembled yoke and draft gear to be raised into as sembled relation with the draft casting 2. The central rivets 84 at the forward end of the draft casting are countersunk to avoid interference with the spring seats 20, and the lower rivets likewise'have their inner ends countersunk in order to avoid interference with the spring seats 20 when the yoke is be raised from belowto assembled position.

In I assembling the mechanism the draft spring and cooperating followers and the centering springs 22 and their cooperating followers 2 1 are associated with the'd raft yoke 9 in ass mbled relation, and these parts are then raised from below and positioned in the draft casting 2. The IEllfCalilQI plate 1O and the forward carrier plate 86 are then secured in place and the coupler 13 is pivotally connected to the draft yoke.

On draft and buffing movements the draft sprino; 7 is compressed between the followers 5 and 6 in the well known manner ,Vhen the coupler swings with respect to the draft yoke 9 one or the other of the rollers 30.

presses against the neighboring follower 24, thereby forcing the latter rearwardly and effecting a compression of the adjacent spring- 22. When the force which has caused the coupler to be displaced laterally from its normal position ceases to act, the spring 22 expands and returns the cooperating follower 24 and roller 30 to normal position,

thereby restoringthe coupler to central po sition.

I claim V 1. A railway draft appliance involving a draft yoke, a coupler pivotally connected to the forward end of the yoke, and means for yieldingly maintaining the coupler and yoke in longitudinal alinement, said means compr sing spring seats carr ed by the yoke and disposed upon opposite sides of thelatter,

and yielding means for normally maintaining the coupler and yoke in longitudinal alinement, said means comprising spring seats rigidly secured to the yoke and disposed upon opposite sides of the latter, followers on opposite sides of the yoke in advance of the spring seats and movable with respect to the latter, said yoke being provided with means for limiting forward move ment of the followers with respect to the spring seats, springs respectively positioned between the followers and corresponding spring seats, and means movable with the coupler for energizing said springs.

3. A railway draft appliance involving a draft yoke having an opening therein adapted to receive a cushioning device for resist ing draft and buffing forces, a coupler piv-1 otally connected to the yoke in advance of the opening, and means for normally maintaining the coupler and yoke in longitudinal v alinement, said means comprising spring seats rigid with the yoke and disposed on opposite sides thereof, followers, means for limiting the movement of the followers away from the spring seats with which they respectively cooperate, and means revolubly mounted on opposite sides of the coupler for cooperating with respective followers to energize said springs.

a A railway draft applianceinvolving a draft yoke, a coupler pivotally connected to the forward endof the yoke, said yoke being provided rearwardly of the point of pivotal connection of the coupler thereto with oppositely extending spring seats, and being provided on opposite sides in advance of said spring seats with vertically spaced portions, followers on opposite sides of the yoke positioned between said vertically spaced portions, springs respectively interposed between the followers and corresponding spring seats, and means carried by the cou 'pler for cooperating with the followers to energize the springs.

5. A railway draft appliance involving a draft yoke, a coupler pivotally connected to the forward end of the yoke, said yoke being provided to the rear of the pivotal axis of the coupler with laterally projecting spring seats and being formed on each side in advance of said seats with a plurality of vertically spaced flanges, followers on opposite sides of the yoke positioned between adjacent flanges, said fianges being shouldered to provide stops for limiting forward movement of the followers, springs respectively positioned between the followers and the corresponding spring seats, and means cooperating with said followers for compress ing the springs.

6. A. railway draft appliance involving,

in combination with draft sills, a draft yoke,

a coupler pivotally connected to the-forward end of the yoke, and means for yieldingly maintaining the coupler and yoke in longi tudinal alinement, said means comprising spring seats carried by the yoke and .disposed on opposite sides of the latter, followers on opposite sides of the yoke in ad Vance of the spring seats and movable with respect thereto, springs respectively interposed between the followers and corresponding spring seats, and means secured to the coupler for cooperating with the followers to compress the springs, said yoke being formed with portions for cooperating with the followers to guide the latter and the followers being disposed between'the draft sills. '7. t. railway draft appliance involving, in combination, a draft casting provided with front and rear follower stops, said castmg being open at the bottom to permit a draft yoke to be assembled therewith from ing provided at its forward end with a plurality of flanges which extend over the'respectively adjacent spring seats.

8. A railwaydraft appliance involving a draft yoke, a coupler pivotally connected to the forward end of the yoke, and means for yieldingly maintaining the coupler andyoke in longitudinal alinement, said yoke being formed with an opening adapted to receive means for cushioning draft and bufiing forces and having in advance of said opening a curved bearing face adaptedto coopera-te with the inner end of the coupler, and being formed at its forward end with vertically spaced arms between which the cou. T

pler is received, the lower arm extending forwardly beyond the upper arm, and each of said arms having laterally extending portions whichoverlap the coupler when the latter swings upon its pivot.

9. A draft yoke adapted to be pivotally connected to a car coupler, said yoke being provided with an opening for receiving means for cushioning draft and buffing forces and being provided in advance of said opening-with oppositely extending spring seats and having on opposite sides-at its forward end vertically spacedportions forming follower receiving-recesses in longitudinal alinement with the respective spring seats.

In testimony whereof I afiix my si nature.

WILLIAM J. ataan. 

